Automated Screw Identification System and Method

ABSTRACT

A tray includes a plurality of rows, each of which includes a plurality of slots. Each row contains a plurality of screws. Different rows may contain screws of different types, e.g., lengths. Each of one or more rows contains a machine-readable object (e.g., peg) containing data representing properties of the objects in the corresponding rows. Removal of an object from a row is performed by reading data from the machine-readable object in the row and using that data to modify (e.g., decrement or increment) a count of the type of object contained in that row.

BACKGROUND

Modern surgical procedures involve the use of a wide variety of suppliesand implants, such as screws, plates, Kirschner wires (K-wires),anchors, and drill bits. It is critical to track and create a record ofthe type and quantity of the supplies used both inside and outside ofthe field during a particular surgical procedure for a variety ofreasons, such as billing, quality assurance, accurate patient records,and determining the type and quantity of supplies that need to bereordered and restocked. Creating such an accurate record while asurgery is being performed is complicated by a variety of factors,including the wide variety of supplies that are used, difficulty oftracking what is used inside the sterile field, the lack of space on thetray to print the corresponding part number of each distinct screw type,the small size of such supplies, and the difficulty of distinguishingsimilar supplies from each other, all in real-time while the surgery isbeing performed. Tradtional manual methods for tracking such supplyusage, such as visually identifying the supplies that are used andwriting down the type and quantity of such supplies on paper or manuallyrecording such supplies in a database, tend to be slow, tedious, anderror-prone. Errors in the record of the type and quantity of suppliesand implants used can have a variety of negative consequences, includingfailure of the hospital to be reimbursed for all of the supplies thatwere used, failure to reorder the correct supplies, lag time in orderingrestock supplies in a timely fashion, and errors in the patient'ssurgical history which can contribute to suboptimal care for the patientin the future.

What is needed, therefore, are improved techniques for tracking the typeand quantity of supplies used during surgery.

SUMMARY

An implant tray includes a plurality of rows, each of which includes aplurality of slots. Each row contains a plurality of screws. Differentrows may contain screws of different types, e.g., lengths. Each of oneor more rows contains a machine-readable object (e.g., peg) containingdata representing properties of the objects in the corresponding rows.Removal of an object from a row is performed by reading data from themachine-readable object in the row and using that data to modify (e.g.,decrement or increment) a count of the type of object contained in thatrow.

Other features and advantages of various aspects and embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following descriptionand from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a surgical plating tray according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a peg according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method performed by one embodiment of thepresent invention to load a tray with objects and correspondingmachine-readable objects.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method performed by one embodiment of thepresent invention to track the removal of objects from the tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a surgical plating tray 100 (also referred to inthe art as a “set”) is shown according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. For ease of illustration, the tray 100 shown in FIG. 1 isdesigned solely to hold surgical screws. In practice, the tray 100 mayhold other kinds of surgical supplies, such as any of the other kinds ofsurgical supplies described herein. As another example, in practice thetray 100 may be part of a larger tray which contains other componentsfor holding other kinds of surgical supplies.

As shown in FIG. 1, the surgical plating tray 100 includes a pluralityof rows 102 a-e. In the particular example of FIG. 1, the tray 100includes exactly five rows. This is merely an example, however, and doesnot constitute a limitation of the present invention. More generally,trays implemented according to embodiments of the present invention mayinclude any number of rows. A tray may have an entire module dedicatedsolely to holding screws, and another module dedicated solely to holdinganother type of supply, such as plates. As another example, a tray mayinclude a module which holds multiple types of supplies, e.g., bothscrews and plates. These and other types of trays all fall within thescope of embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, the precisespacing, orientation, and arrangement of the rows shown in FIG. 1 ismerely illustrative and not limiting of the present invention.

Furthermore, the tray 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a plurality ofslots 104 a-e at the tops of corresponding rows 102 a-e, respectively.In the particular example shown in FIG. 1, slots 104 a, 104 c, 104 d,and 104 e contain screw length markers on which numbers are printed.Such numbers indicate the length of screw contained in the correspondingrow. For example, the number 3 on the screw length marker in slot 104 aindicates that screws of 3 mm in length are contained in correspondingrow 102 a. Similarly, the number 4 on the screw length marker in slot104 c indicates that screws of 4 mm length are contained incorresponding row 102 c; the number 4 on the screw length marker in slot104 d indicates that screws of 4 mm in length are contained incorresponding row 102 d; and the number 5 on the screw length marker inslot 104 e indicates that screws of 5 mm in length are contained incorresponding row 102 e. As these examples illustrate, the numberprinted on a particular screw length marker in a particular rowindicates the length of the screws that are contained in that particularrow.

In the example of FIG. 1, the absence of a screw length marker in a slotindicates that the corresponding row does not contain any screws. Forexample, the absence of a screw length marker in slot 104 b indicatesthat corresponding row 102 b does not contain any screws.

Everything described above in connection with the slots 104 a-e and thescrew length markers contained in the slots 104 a-e is merely an exampleand does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. Forexample, some or all of the slots 104 a-e may be omitted from the tray100. Similarly, some or all of the screw length markers may be omittedfrom the tray 100. Some or all of the screw length markers may containindicia other than numbers, such as letters, words, bar codes, QR codes,color codes, or any other indicia. Some or all of the screw lengthmarkers may be located at positions other than the tops of theircorresponding rows, such as in the middle or the bottom of theircorresponding row. The screw length markers shown in the slots 104 a-eof FIG. 1 may be made of any material(s) and be of any shape(s) and/orsize(s). The length of screws in the tray may alternatively be indicatedby direct part marking on the actual tray 100 itself, rather than byusing screw length markers inserted into the tray.

Each of the rows 102 a-e may include a plurality of corresponding slots,which are adapted to receive and hold screws (e.g., surgical screws) andother objects (such as the screw length markers shown in FIG. 1). Theslots within a particular row may be arranged in a linear orsubstantially linear arrangement. Each of the rows 102 a-e includes a“topmost” slot at one end of the row and a “bottommost” slot at theother end of the row, although the designation of one end of the row as“topmost” and the other end of the row as “bottommost” is arbitrary andused herein only for ease of reference. More generally, the “topmost”slot refers to the slot at one end of a row and the “bottommost” slotrefers to the slot at the other end of the row. For example, in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, slots 104 a-e will be referred toherein as the “topmost” slots of their corresponding rows 102 a-e forease of explanation, although those slots may just as easily be definedas the “bottommost” slots of their corresponding rows 102 a-e.

The slots in the tray 100 may be adapted to receive and hold screwsand/or other objects in any of a variety of ways. For example, in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, each of the slots includes a lowerlip, below the exterior surface of the slot, having a surface with anopening having a smaller diameter than the cross-section of the exteriorsurface of the slot, thereby forming an interior surface on which thehead of a screw, peg, or other object may rest when inserted into theslot. For example, referring to FIG. 2, a peg 200 is shown. The peg(also referred to herein as a “pin”) includes a relatively shortcylindrical head 202 coupled to a relatively long cylindrical shaft 204.In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the lower portion of thehead 202 is beveled at its point of connection to the shaft. Theparticular shapes and sizes of the head 202 and shaft 204 shown in FIG.2, including the bevel, are merely examples and do not constitutelimitations of the present invention.

The peg 200 may, for example, be implemented as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 9,313,558, entitled, “Tagging of Metal Pins for Mounted Objects withLight-Activated Microtransponders,” issued on Apr. 12, 2016, andincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. As disclosed therein,a pin may have a transponder affixed thereto. The transponder may be avery small, light-triggered transponder (referred to as an “MTP” or“p-Chip”). MTPs are generally sided, in that the photocell/RF circuitryis formed on one face, and the other major face is generally silicon—andcan be a product of height reduction by back grinding. The circuitryface is generally protected by a passivation layer, such as of silicondioxide, silicon nitride or mixtures, or multiple such layers.

The peg 200 is an elongated object, and may be made, for example, ofmetal, plastic, or wood, one end of which has a bulky, often oval shape,called the head of the pin 200, the other end of which may be sharpened.The diameter of the bulky end is typically larger than the diameter ofthe elongated portion of the peg 200. The axis of the peg 200 goesthrough the center points of the cross-sections of the elongated portionof the peg 200.

When an object, such as the peg 200, is inserted into one of the slotsin the tray 100, such as any one of slots 104 a-e or 106 a-e, the shaft202 of the peg 200 may extend into the cylindrical cavity of the slot,below the exterior surface of the slot, and further below the interiorsurface described above with the narrower cavity. As the peg 200 isfurther inserted into the slot, the head 202 of the peg 200 willeventually make contact with the protruding interior surface of theslot, thereby preventing the peg 200 from being inserted further intothe slot. The result, as illustrated by various pins and screws in thetray 100 of FIG. 1, is that the peg 200 is held in place within itsslot, with the upper surface of the peg 200 being level with, orslightly above or below the upper surface of the slot.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the screw length markers inslots 104 a, 104 c, 104 d, and 104 e may include shafts (not shown),coupled to the undersides of the numbered surfaces of the screw lengthmarkers, which may be the same as or similar to the pin shaft 204 shownin FIG. 2. As a result, the screw length markers may be inserted intoand held in place by the slots of the tray 100 in the same or similarmanner as the peg 200 of FIG. 2.

In the example described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, theslots in the tray 100 are adapted to hold pins and other objects inplace using a combination of the interior lip and gravity. This ismerely an example and does not constitute a limitation of the presentinvention. In other embodiments, one or more slots may be adapted tohold pins and other objects in place using other means, such as suction,friction, and/or adhesion.

In the particular example shown in FIG. 1, the slots have a circularcross-section, although this is not a limitation of the presentinvention. The slots may, for example, have square, hexagonal,octagonal, or other cross-sections.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, within each of the rows 102 a-e, theslots that are below the screw length marker in that row are typicallyused to hold screws. For example, in row 102 a, slots 106 a and 110 a-htypically are used to hold screws of the type indicated by the number orother indicia on the screw length marker in the topmost slot 104 a ofthat row 102 a. In embodiments of the present invention, one or more ofthe slots in a row may be used to contain a machine-readable object,such as a machine-readable pin, which contains data representinginformation about one or more of the screws (or other supplies) in thatrow, such as the type of such screws.

For example, in FIG. 1, slot 106 a includes a machine-readable object108 a, such as a machine-readable pin, which may be designed inaccordance with FIG. 2 and the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 9,313,558.Similarly, in the example of FIG. 1, slots 106 c and 106 e also includesuch machine-readable objects (e.g., pins).

In the particular example of FIG. 1, machine-readable objects arecontained within one or more of the slots 106 a-e which are immediatelybelow the topmost slots of rows 102 a-e. For example, machine-readableobject 108 a is contained within slot 106 a, which is immediately belowtopmost slot 104 a. Such slots, which are immediately below the topmostslots of each row, are referred to herein as “next topmost slots.” This,however, is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation ofthe present invention. Machine-readable objects may be contained withinany slot(s) in any row, such as the topmost slot, the middle slot, thebottommost slot, or any combination thereof. As merely one example,machine-readable objects may be contained within the topmost slots ofone or more of the rows 102 a-e. For example, the screw length markersshown in FIG. 1 may be machine-readable, using the mechanisms disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 9,313,558 and/or other mechanisms, thereby eliminatingthe need to include both the screw length markers and additionalmachine-readable objects in the tray 100. Instead, in such embodiments,the screw length markers may perform the dual function of providinghuman-readable indicia of the screws contained within the rows 102 a-eand providing machine-readable data representing information about thescrews contained within the rows 102 a-e.

Machine-readable objects implemented according to embodiments of thepresent invention may be clearly visually discernible from the screws orother objects in the same row. For example, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1, the machine-readable pins 108 a-c have heads withan upper surface that is flat and shiny, making them easy to locatevisually. Furthermore, the screws in the tray 100 have Phillips-styleheads, which are not flat and which therefore stand out visually fromthe flat heads of the machine-readable pins 108 a-c. More generally,pins implemented according to embodiments of the present invention mayhave one or more visual characteristics which are distinct from one ormore visual characteristics of the corresponding screws (or othersupplies), thereby causing them to be easily discernible visually fromthe corresponding screws.

In general, a machine-readable object contained within any one of therows 102 a-e may contain a non-transitory storage medium which containsdata representing information about one or more properties of one ormore of the objects (e.g., screws) that are contained within that row.Examples of such storage media include, for example, radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tags, light-triggered transponders, integratedcircuits (chips), bar codes, and QR codes. The non-transitory storagemedium contained in a machine-readable object may use any mechanism tostore data. The data contained within a non-transitory storage mediummay represent any of a variety of information about the objectscontained within the same row as the non-transitory storage medium, suchas their manufacturer, model number, part number, stock keeping unit(SKU), length, width, or any combination thereof.

As described above, the data contained within a non-transitory storagemedium may be machine-readable. Such data may or may not behuman-readable. For example, a non-transitory storage medium may be orinclude an RFID tag, in which case the data on such a tag may bereadable by a machine and not be a human. In some embodiments, however,a non-transitory storage medium and/or a supply (e.g., screw) mayinclude human-readable indicia representing some or all of the sameinformation as represented by the machine-readable data stored on thenon-transitory medium. Examples of such indicia include printed symbols(e.g., numbers and/or letters) representing a manufacturer, modelnumber, part number, stock keeping unit (SKU), length, width, or anycombination thereof of the supply (e.g., screw). The inclusion of suchhuman-readable indicia may eliminate the need for the human-readablescrew length markers described above and shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore,note that some indicia, such as numbers and bar codes, may be bothmachine-readable and human-readable. Furthermore, the screw lengthmarkers may include, instead of or in addition to human-readable indiciarepresenting screw lengths, human-readable indicia representing any oneor more of the other properties listed above.

A non-transitory storage medium may be contained within or otherwisecoupled to or associated with a machine-readable object in any of avariety of ways. For example, a non-transitory storage medium may beaffixed to the head 202 of the peg 200 shown in FIG. 2, such as by usingtape or other adhesive means to affix the non-transitory storage mediumto the upper surface of the head 202 of the peg 200.

In the particular example shown in FIG. 1, row 102 a contains: (1)machine-readable object 108 a (e.g., pin) in slot 106 a; and (2) screwsin slots 110 a-d and 110 f-h. Machine-readable object 108 a includes anon-transitory storage medium containing data representing informationabout the screws (if any) contains in the slots 110 a-h of row 102 a.

In addition, note that the next topmost slot 106 b of the row 102 b thatis adjacent and immediately to the right of row 102 a does not contain amachine-readable object (e.g., pin). In fact, row 102 b does not containany machine-readable object at all. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, a single machine-readable object may be contained within aparticular row to indicate that the particular row, and any rowsimmediately subsequent to that row on the right which do not contain anymachine-readable objects, contains objects (e.g., screws) which aredescribed by the data on the machine-readable object in the particularrow. For example, in FIG. 1, the fact that row 102 a contains amachine-readable object 108 a and that the immediately adjacent row 102b to the right of row 102 a does not contain any machine-readableobjects means that the machine-readable object 108 a in row 102 acontains data representing information describing any and all objects inboth row 102 a and 102 b. More generally, the machine-readable object ina particular row may contain data representing information describingobjects in that particular row and in all subsequent rows to the rightup to but not including the next row that contains a machine-readableobject. In the example of FIG. 1, row 102 c contains a machine-readableobject 108 b in row 102 c; therefore, the machine-readable object 108 ain row 102 a contains data representing information about objects inrows 102 a and 102 b but not 102 c.

The scheme described above for using a single machine-readable object todescribe objects in multiple rows is merely an example and not alimitation of the present invention. As an alternative, for example,machine-readable objects may be contained in each and every rowcontaining objects about which information is desired.

Returning to the particular example shown in FIG. 1, row 102 c contains:(1) machine-readable object 108 b (e.g., pin) in slot 106 c; and (2)screws in various slots. Machine-readable object 108 b includes anon-transitory storage medium containing data representing informationabout the screws (if any) contained in the slots of row 102 c. Note thatbecause row 102 d does not contain a machine-readable object, thenaccording to the scheme described above, the data contained on thestorage medium of machine-readable object 108 b represents informationdescribing any and all objects in both rows 102 c and 102 d.

Finally, in the particular example shown in FIG. 1, row 102 e contains:(1) machine-readable object 108 c (e.g., pin) in slot 106 e; and (2)screws in various slots. Machine-readable object 108 c includes anon-transitory storage medium containing data representing informationabout the screws (if any) contained in the slots of row 102 e.

As described above, different rows in the tray 100 may contain objects(e.g., screws) having properties that differ from each other. Forexample, each row may contain objects that share the same orsubstantially the same properties as each other (e.g., manufacturer,model number, part number, stock keeping unit (SKU), length, and/orwidth), but different rows may contain objects whose properties differfrom the properties of objects contained in other rows. For example, inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the objects contained in rows 102a and 102 b may have the same or substantially the same properties aseach other, the objects contained in rows 102 c and 102 d may have thesame or substantially the same properties as each other, and the objectscontained in row 104 e may have the same or substantially the sameproperties as each other, but the properties of the objects contained inrows 102 a-b may differ from the properties of the objects contained inrows 102 c-d and 102 e, the properties of the objects contained in rows102 c-d may differ from the properties of the objects contained in rows102 a-b and 102 e, and the properties of the objects contained in row102 e may differ from the properties of the objects contained in rows102 a-b and 102 c-d.

Because the machine-readable object in each row contains a storagemedium containing data representing information about the objects inthat row, the data contained on the machine-readable objects indifferent rows in the tray 100 may differ from each other to reflect thedifferences in properties of the corresponding objects. For example,assume that the objects in a particular row A of the tray 100 have afirst set of properties, that the objects in another particular row B ofthe tray 100 have a second set of properties, and that the first andsecond set of properties differ from each other. As a result, themachine-readable object corresponding to (e.g., contained within thesame row as) the objects in row A will contain data representing thefirst set of properties and the machine-readable object corresponding to(e.g., contained within the same row as) the objects in row B willcontain data representing the second set of properties. Because thefirst and second sets of properties differ from each other, the datacontained in the two machine-readable objects will also differ from eachother. This may be true not only for two machine-readable objects in thetray 100, but for any number of machine-readable objects in the tray100.

As the above description illustrates, one embodiment of the presentinvention is directed to a tray, or a portion thereof for containingscrews and/or object objects, in which one or more machine-readableobjects containing machine-readable data have been inserted into slotsin the tray, such that the locations of the slots in which themachine-readable objects have been inserted correspond to properties ofthe objects (e.g., screws) which are in the same rows as themachine-readable objects.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method forconfiguring a tray of the kind described above. Referring to FIG. 3, aflowchart is shown of such a method 300 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The method 300 includes selecting a tray having aplurality of rows, where each of the plurality of rows includes aplurality of slots (FIG. 3, operation 302). A first set of objectproperties is identified, such as a set of properties of a first kind ofobject (e.g., screw). The first set of properties may include any one ormore of the kinds of properties described above. A firstmachine-readable object is selected (e.g., a pin containing a chip)(FIG. 3, operation 304), and data representing some or all of the firstset of object properties is stored in the first machine-readable object(FIG. 3, operation 306).

A second set of object properties is identified, such as a set ofproperties of a second kind of object (e.g., screw). The second set ofproperties may include any one or more of the kinds of propertiesdescribed above. The second set of properties may differ from the firstset of properties in whole or in part. For example, the second set ofproperties may include a SKU or length that differs from the SKU orlength of the first set of properties. A second machine-readable objectis selected (e.g., a pin containing a chip) (FIG. 3, operation 308), anddata representing some or all of the second set of object properties isstored in the second machine-readable object (FIG. 3, operation 310).

Note that operations 308 and 310 effectively repeat operations 304 and306, but for a second object and second machine-readable object.Operations 304 and 306 may be repeated for any additional number ofobject types and corresponding machine-readable objects.

The first machine-readable object is inserted into the tray in a slot(e.g., the topmost or next topmost slot) of a row in which objects(e.g., screws) of the type represented by the data in the firstmachine-readable object are stored, or will be stored (FIG. 3, operation312). Similarly, the second machine-readable object is inserted into thetray in a slot (e.g., the topmost or next topmost slot) of a row inwhich objects (e.g., screws) of the type represented by the data in thesecond machine-readable object are stored, or will be stored (FIG. 3,operation 314). Note that operation 314 effectively repeats operation312, but for a second machine-readable object. Operation 312 may berepeated for any additional number of machine-readable objects.

One or more objects (e.g., screws) of the type represented by the datain the first machine-readable object are inserted into the same row inthe tray as the first machine-readable object (FIG. 3, operation 316).One or more objects (e.g., screws) of the type represented by the datain the second machine-readable object are inserted into the same row inthe tray as the second machine-readable object (FIG. 3, operation 318).Note that operation 318 effectively repeats operation 316, but for asecond machine-readable object and corresponding type of object.Operation 316 may be repeated for any additional number ofmachine-readable objects and corresponding types of objects.

The result of performing method 300 is to populate a tray, such as thetray shown in FIG. 1, with machine-readable objects and correspondingtypes of objects (e.g., screws) in the same rows as thosemachine-readable objects, so that the removal of such objects from thetray may be detected, such as in the manner described below inconnection with FIG. 4.

The order of the steps shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example and does notconstitute a limitation of the present invention. The steps of method300 may be performed in orders other than the order shown in FIG. 3. Forexample, steps 316 and 318 may be performed before steps 312 and 314. Asanother example, steps 306, 306, 308, and 310 may be performed aftersteps 316 and 318.

Embodiments of the present invention include methods for reading datafrom machine-readable objects (such as the machine-readable objects 108a-c shown in FIG. 1) to track the removal of objects (e.g., screws) froma tray (e.g., tray 100). For example, referring to FIG. 4, a flowchartis shown of a method 400 for tracking the removal of objects from a tray(e.g., tray 100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

An object (e.g., screw) is removed from a particular row R of the tray100 (FIG. 4, operation 402). The machine-readable object in row R isidentified (FIG. 4, operation 404). For example, if object 110 a wereremoved from row 102 a, then machine-readable object 108 a may beidentified as the machine-readable object in the same row as object 110a.

One or more units of data are read from the identified machine-readableobject 108 a (FIG. 4, operation 406). Such data may be read in any of avariety of ways. For example, a wand may be positioned (e.g., by a humanoperator) over the surface of the machine-readable object, therebycausing the wand to read some or all of the data from themachine-readable object. The wand or other reading device may betriggered to read data from the machine-readable object in response toinput from the human operator, such as the pressing of a button.

A computer (not shown) may automatically identify the type (e.g.,length) of the removed object based on the data read from themachine-readable object (FIG. 4, operation 408). For example, if thedata read from the machine-readable object include data which expresslyspecifies a type of the removed object, then the computer may identifythe type of the removed object as the type expressly specified by theread data. As another example, the computer may derive the type of theremoved object from the data read from the machine-readable object. Forexample, if the data read from the machine-readable object specifies alength of the removed object, then the computer may derive the type ofthe removed object from the specified length, such as by using a tableor other data structure to correlate the specified length with an objecttype (e.g., part number or SKU).

The method 400 decrements a stored count of the identified object type(FIG. 4, operation 410). For example, the computer may include adatabase or other data structure containing counts of various types ofobjects. As a particular example, such a data structure may begin with acount, for each of the object types initially stored in the tray 100, ofthe number of objects of that type initially stored in the tray. Forexample, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, if rows 102 a and 102 binitially contain, in aggregate, ten screws of length 3, then the datastructure stored in the computer may initially contain data indicatingthat the tray 100 contains ten screws of length 3. In this example, inoperation 410, the computer may decrement that count in response todetermining that a screw was removed from row 102 a or 102 b.

In addition to or instead of decrementing the stored count of theidentified object type, the method 400 may increment a count of thenumber of objects of the identified object type that have been removedfrom the tray 100. For example, the computer may initially contain dataindicating that zero objects of each object type have been removed fromthe tray, such as when the method 300 of FIG. 3 is performed toinitially load the tray. Then, as each object is removed from the tray100, the method 400 may increment a count of the number of objects ofthat type that have been removed from the tray 100.

Operations 402-410 may be repeated for any number of objects removedfrom the tray 100. The function performed by the method 400 is tomaintain an accurate count of the number of objects removed from thetray.

Embodiments of the present invention have a variety of advantages. Forexample, by enabling the removal of objects (e.g., screws) from the trayto be tracked by reading machine-readable data from machine-readableobjects in the tray, and thereby automatically updating a count of suchremoved objects in a computer, embodiments of the present inventiondecrease the effort, increase the speed, and increase the accuracy ofsuch tracking in comparison to prior art object removal trackingmethods. In particular, embodiments of the present invention eliminatethe need for any human operator to write down or manually enter dataspecifying the objects removed from the tray 100. This significantlydecreases the complexity of the tracking process and enables suchtracking to be performed nearly instantly after an object has beenremoved from the tray.

Other industries, and even departments within hospitals other than thesurgical department, consider scanning at the point of use to be thegold standard for supply chain accuracy and management because of thewide range of benefits that it provides. Such scanning at the point ofuse, however, has not been implemented or even possible until the adventof the present invention, which uses a combination of novel andnonobvious technical means to enable screws and other supplies to bescanned at the point of use, e.g., during surgical procedures in thesterile field at the time at which such supplies are used. Embodimentsof the present invention take all of the advantages of scanning at thepoint of use and apply them to the surgical context.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been describedabove in terms of particular embodiments, the foregoing embodiments areprovided as illustrative only, and do not limit or define the scope ofthe invention. Various other embodiments, including but not limited tothe following, are also within the scope of the claims. For example,elements and components described herein may be further divided intoadditional components or joined together to form fewer components forperforming the same functions.

Any of the functions disclosed herein may be implemented using means forperforming those functions. Such means include, but are not limited to,any of the components disclosed herein, such as the computer-relatedcomponents described below.

The techniques described above may be implemented, for example, inhardware, one or more computer programs tangibly stored on one or morecomputer-readable media, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thetechniques described above may be implemented in one or more computerprograms executing on (or executable by) a programmable computerincluding any combination of any number of the following: a processor, astorage medium readable and/or writable by the processor (including, forexample, volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), aninput device, and an output device. Program code may be applied to inputentered using the input device to perform the functions described and togenerate output using the output device.

Embodiments of the present invention include features which are onlypossible and/or feasible to implement with the use of one or moremachines, such as computers, computer processors, and/or other elementsof a computer system. Such features are either impossible or impracticalto implement mentally and/or manually. For example, embodiments of thepresent invention read data from a machine-readable object, such as byusing a wand to read data from a chip. This function cannot be performedby a human manually or mentally.

Any claims herein which affirmatively require a computer, a processor, amemory, or similar computer-related elements, are intended to requiresuch elements, and should not be interpreted as if such elements are notpresent in or required by such claims. Such claims are not intended, andshould not be interpreted, to cover methods and/or systems which lackthe recited computer-related elements. For example, any method claimherein which recites that the claimed method is performed by a computer,a processor, a memory, and/or similar computer-related element, isintended to, and should only be interpreted to, encompass methods whichare performed by the recited computer-related element(s). Such a methodclaim should not be interpreted, for example, to encompass a method thatis performed mentally or by hand (e.g., using pencil and paper).Similarly, any product claim herein which recites that the claimedproduct includes a computer, a processor, a memory, and/or similarcomputer-related element, is intended to, and should only be interpretedto, encompass products which include the recited computer-relatedelement(s). Such a product claim should not be interpreted, for example,to encompass a product that does not include the recitedcomputer-related element(s).

Each computer program within the scope of the claims below may beimplemented in any programming language, such as assembly language,machine language, a high-level procedural programming language, or anobject-oriented programming language. The programming language may, forexample, be a compiled or interpreted programming language.

Each such computer program may be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device forexecution by a computer processor. Method steps of the invention may beperformed by one or more computer processors executing a programtangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium to perform functions ofthe invention by operating on input and generating output. Suitableprocessors include, by way of example, both general and special purposemicroprocessors. Generally, the processor receives (reads) instructionsand data from a memory (such as a read-only memory and/or a randomaccess memory) and writes (stores) instructions and data to the memory.Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and data include, for example, all forms of non-volatilememory, such as semiconductor memory devices, including EPROM, EEPROM,and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks andremovable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROMs. Any of theforegoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, specially-designedASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) or FPGAs(Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). A computer can generally also receive(read) programs and data from, and write (store) programs and data to, anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as an internal disk(not shown) or a removable disk. These elements will also be found in aconventional desktop or workstation computer as well as other computerssuitable for executing computer programs implementing the methodsdescribed herein, which may be used in conjunction with any digitalprint engine or marking engine, display monitor, or other raster outputdevice capable of producing color or gray scale pixels on paper, film,display screen, or other output medium.

Any data disclosed herein may be implemented, for example, in one ormore data structures tangibly stored on a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. Embodiments of the invention may store suchdata in such data structure(s) and read such data from such datastructure(s).

What is claimed is:
 1. An implant tray comprising: a plurality of rowsof slots; a first machine-readable object in a first slot in a first oneof the plurality of rows of slots, the first machine-readable objectincluding a first non-transitory machine-readable storage mediumcontaining first data representing a first property of at least onefirst supply; and a first supply in a second slot in the first one ofthe plurality of rows of slots, wherein the first supply has the firstproperty, wherein the first slot differs from the second slot.
 2. Theimplant tray of claim 1, wherein the first machine-readable objectcomprises a first peg.
 3. The implant tray of claim 1, wherein the firstsupply comprises a first screw.
 4. The implant tray of claim 1, furthercomprising: a second machine-readable object in a second one of theplurality of rows of slots, the second machine-readable object includinga second non-transitory machine-readable storage medium containingsecond data representing a second property of at least one secondsupply; and a second supply in the second one of the plurality of rowsof slots, wherein the second supply has the second property; wherein thefirst property differs from the second property.
 5. The implant tray ofclaim 4, wherein the first property comprises a length of the firstsupply, wherein the second property comprises a length of the secondsupply, and wherein the first length differs from the second length. 6.The implant tray of claim 1, wherein the first machine-readable objectis in a topmost or next topmost slot of the first row, and wherein thesecond machine-readable object is in a topmost or next topmost slot ofthe second row.
 7. The implant tray of claim 1, wherein the firstnon-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprises a transponder.8. The implant tray of claim 7, wherein the transponder comprises alight-triggered transponder.